Harsh US Drug Laws To Change, Says Eric Holder

"With the U.S. facing massive overcrowding in its prisons, Attorney General Eric Holder called Monday for major changes to the nation's criminal justice system that would scale back the use of harsh sentences for certain drug-related crimes. In remarks to the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Holder said he also favors diverting people convicted of low-level offenses to drug treatment and community service programs and expanding a prison program to allow for release of some elderly, non-violent offenders...".* 

Federal judge rules Stop and Frisk Unconstitutional!

In a blistering decision issued on Monday, the judge, Shira A. Scheindlin, found that the Police Department had "adopted a policy of indirect racial profiling" that targeted young minority men for stops. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the city would appeal the ruling, angrily accusing the judge of deliberately not giving the city "a fair trial."